Bucculatrix demaryella

Bucculatrix demaryella (Duponchel, 1840)

birch bent-wing

Betula pubescens, Duin en Kruidberg

mine

The mine begins at an oval, lower-surface egg. Here begins a short, full depth corridor, often along the midrib or a thick vein. Most of the mine with a thick frass line. The larva soon leaves the mine, and starts causing window-feeding, later earing holes in the leaf. The larval chamber (the space occupied by the larva, while in the mine, obviously free of frass) is more than three times as long as wide. Pupation in a slender, greyish brown cocoon with c. 10 sharp length ridges.

distribution within Europe

larva

The mining larva is pale yellow with a darker head (the free living larva is grey green).

pupa

Described byPatočka (1996a), Patočka & Turčáni (2005a).

Young mines of the common Rhamphus pulicarius may deceivingly resemble demaryella mines, especially when they are situated in a vein axil, as often is the case. Rhamphus mines never have an exit hole, because the larva remains in the mine. Below a few pictures of the look-alike:

Rhamphus pulicarius on Betula pendula, Rheden: mine lighted from above and from behind